A Lesson on Life
by Hayley Barbossa
Summary: After an unexpected bundle arrives at Baker Street, Sherlock finds himself getting thrown into a role he never expected to play. A father. NO SLASH! Reichenbach AU. R&R
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **A Lesson on Life

**Summary: **After an unexpected bundle arrives at Baker Street, Sherlock finds himself getting thrown into a role he never expected to play. A father.

**Rating: **T

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

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><p>"Sherlock, do you want some tea?" John called from the kitchen. Sherlock said nothing in response and laid on the sofa silently with his eyes closed in concentration. His sleeves were pushed up his arm and a white patch was fixed onto his forearm.<p>

"Sherlock?" John called again as he peered into the living room. Sherlock's eyes flew open and he jumped off the couch.

"It was the maid!" He exclaimed loudly. "Oh, why did it take me so long to figure this out?" John walked into the room holding a cup of tea in one hand and a newspaper under the other.

"Maybe if you actually ate something from time to time then you'd get some energy to think faster." John muttered as he sat down in his armchair.

"It distracts me." Sherlock said, waving a hand towards John dismissively. He headed over to the door and slipped on his coat. "I'll be at the Yard if you need me." He called over his shoulder as he rushed out of the room. John shook his head and sighed.

Sherlock had been unusually energetic these past few months. John couldn't quite put his finger on it but Sherlock seemed almost… Normal. Of course, it didn't stop him from offending Anderson and the rest of the officers.

John figured that Sherlock started acting strangely ever since that night he went out to 'experiment'. Sherlock had said he was going down to the pub for 'research' and didn't return until the following morning. He arrived on the doorstep of their flat looking haggard and tired. John asked him what happened but Sherlock mumbled something incomprehensible, stumbled into his bedroom and slept half the day away.

After a few hours of updating his blog and watching mindless television, John heard a buzz from the door. Mrs. Hudson was out so John heaved himself off the sofa and padded down the stairs.

When he opened the door, he was surprised to see that there was nobody there. He frowned and was about to close the door again when he heard a soft whimper. He looked down at the steps and saw a little bundle of blankets squirming around.

John was stunned. The little bundle gave another cry and John bent over to pick up the bundle gently. He looked around before closing the door shut behind him.

"Hello," He whispered softly as he laid the baby down on his bed. She had dark curly hair and she was looking at him expectantly. He noticed a corner of an envelope poking out of the blanket and John tugged it out.

_To Mr. Sherlock Holmes_

John nearly dropped the letter in his shock. He glanced back at the baby wriggling around on his bed. John looked back at the envelope and decided to leave it to Sherlock to read. He set the letter down on his side table and walked back to the bed where the baby was.

She had fallen asleep remarkably fast and John decided to let her be for now. He left the door to his room open and sat down on the sofa. Once in a while, he couldn't help but glance at his room.

"There's a baby in my room." He said out loud. He still couldn't believe this had happened. Who in their right mind would leave their baby on the front step of a sociopathic genius?

It was around 6 o'clock when John awoke to the sound of a crying baby. He jolted awake and rushed to the bedroom. The baby was crying loudly and John had no idea what to do. They didn't have anything to feed the baby and there was no milk at all. He picked up the crying bundle and patted her back in an effort to calm her down.

"Shhh…" He whispered. The baby still wouldn't stop crying. John was starting to panic when Sherlock arrived.

"What is all that noise?" He demanded. John rolled his eyes and walked to the living room carrying the baby. At the sight of the baby in John's arms, Sherlock's expression shifted. He frowned and walked closer to John.

"That's a baby." He stated flatly. John sighed.

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock." He said sarcastically. Sherlock blinked.

"Where did you get a _baby_?" John shifted the baby in his arms carefully.

"Someone left her on the steps outside. I didn't know what to do so I brought her inside." Sherlock tilted his head and looked at the baby. The baby had stopped crying and was looking at Sherlock as well. Sherlock was stunned to see the baby staring back at him with the same grey-blue eyes he had. It was as if his eyes were copied onto hers.

"This is impossible." Sherlock whispered to himself. John watched as Sherlock sank down on the couch. He had never seen Sherlock look so lost.

"Sherlock, are you alright?" He asked worriedly. Sherlock looked at him.

"Was there anything else with the baby?" Sherlock demanded.

"There was a letter addressed to you. Its on my table." He added as Sherlock stormed into his room. Sherlock found the envelope addressed to him and picked it up. He eyed it warily and opened the letter and took it out.

_Sherlock,_

_I know that you probably don't care about me anymore. After all, I only knew you for a few days after that incident at the pub. I didn't want to resort to this but I had no other choice. I can't take care of her anymore. I can barely take care of myself. The doctor told me I only have a few days left if I don't get treatment. I can barely afford to buy food for Ariadne let alone pay for treatment. _

_Take care of her, please. She's only got you left. No one else would take her in and I want her to at least know her father. I know that you probably won't take her in either. I understand. Just promise me that you'll find her a good home to stay in. _

_- Camille_

Sherlock folded up the letter and closed his eyes. A fuzzy memory of a woman with blonde hair and green eyes flitted through his mind. He swallowed uncomfortably and stood up.

John was still carrying the baby when Sherlock entered the living room. "Give her to me." Sherlock said quietly. John raised an eyebrow but handed the baby to Sherlock. She tilted her head and stared at Sherlock with curious eyes. Sherlock was shocked to see that her eyes were exact replicas of his.

Hesitantly, he pulled the baby close to him and whispered, "Hello, Ariadne." She gurgled and snuggled into his neck. Sherlock stiffened at the sudden contact but said nothing more.

"Ariadne. That's a nice name." John said awkwardly. Sherlock fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Her name is Ariadne. Ariadne Holmes." He said. He watched amusedly as John's face changed from an expression of fondness to one of pure and utter shock.

"Holmes? Ariadne Holmes? She's your-"

"Yes, yes, she's my daughter." Sherlock interrupted hastily. John fell back against the sofa with shock.

"But how? I mean when did… I thought…" John stammered. Sherlock snorted.

"You thought that I was incapable of having an intimate relationship? Yes, it's true that I lack experience in that area but what happened between Camille and I was purely accidental. It was the result of an experiment gone wrong." Sherlock said. John gaped at him.

"What experiment?" He demanded. Sherlock sighed and sat down. He held Ariadne close to him and patted her back gently.

"Do you remember that night months ago when I told you I was going down to the pub to do research?" John nodded.

"I was trying to figure out what it was that you found interesting at the pub. I came to the conclusion that alcohol was what attracts people there. So, I decided to see how much I could drink before I became intoxicated." Sherlock said. John shook his head.

"Jeez, Sherlock. Don't you know how-" Sherlock waved him off once again.

"Yes, I know. It was reckless and irresponsible. But I have to admit, it wasn't my smartest experiment." John was still trying to wrap his head around the idea of Sherlock wandering around drunk.

"So you and Camille…" John trailed off awkwardly.

"Yes." Sherlock said curtly. "I did come back a few days after. Just to visit. It never occurred to me that this could happen."

John looked at his friend. Sherlock looked like he was still trying to understand the situation he was currently in. Ariadne had fallen asleep again and was slumped against Sherlock's shoulder.

"You're going to take care of her?" John asked gently. Sherlock merely looked at him.

"She has no other family. I'm all she has left." He said simply. John gave a short nod.

"Ah. I see. Are you sure about this? I mean, no offense but you can be a bit… Intimidating." Sherlock stood up and carried Ariadne to his room. He laid her down carefully and sat on the edge of the bed, watching her.

"I'm not entirely sure about this." He admitted. "I don't think it's best for Ariadne to stay with us but she has no one else." John looked at the sleeping child.

"I'll do whatever I can to help, Sherlock. You're not in this alone." He reassured him. Sherlock glanced at John and gave him a tiny smile.

"Thank you, John."

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><p><strong>AN: **Please review! It would mean a lot to me


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey guys! I want to thank you all for the reviews and for those who subscribed to this story. You guys have made me really happy! I think this is one of the best responses any of my stories had so far. Sorry for making you all wait. I was extremely busy last week and didn't get the chance to work on this. I've already got chapter three outlined in my head so I'm hoping to update again soon. I hope you enjoy this!

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

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><p>The next morning, Sherlock felt a tiny hand pressing against his cheek. He opened his eyes and saw Ariadne patting his face. John had insisted that Ariadne slept in Sherlock's bed that night, though Sherlock didn't understand why Ariadne couldn't just sleep on the couch.<p>

"Morning." He muttered. Ariadne stared at him with curious eyes and he sighed. Sherlock didn't know much about babies other than the fact that they were supposed to cry a lot and make fusses. Ariadne just kept watching him with grey-blue eyes identical to his and Sherlock found it a little unnerving.

He got off the bed carefully, trying not to jostle the bed too much and picked Ariadne up. She immediately started burrowing her face in the crook of his neck.

As they entered the living room, Sherlock smelled something strange coming from Ariadne. "John! There's something wrong with her!" He called, setting Ariadne down on the couch. John, who was in the kitchen, rolled his eyes.

"What is it now?" He asked as he walked into the room. Sherlock's nose was scrunched up and he looked disgusted.

"Ariadne's making strange smells. Is she sick?" Sherlock inquired seriously. John coughed down a laugh. Sherlock may be a genius but when it came to dealing with things normal people dealt with in their normal lives, he was utterly clueless. Then again, this wasn't exactly a normal situation.

John walked over to Ariadne and sniffed near her. He made a face as he realized what 'smell' Sherlock was talking about. "Er, Sherlock. Her diaper's full. That's what's making the smell." He explained. Sherlock looked at Ariadne disdainfully and sniffed.

"Does she do this often?" John decided not to answer that question. He picked Ariadne up and laid her down on the sofa seat.

"Can you pass me a diaper?" He asked, trying not to make a face as he slowly peeled down the stickers holding the diaper together. Sherlock handed him the plastic bag and winced as the smell from Ariadne's diaper filled the air.

"Good grief, that's disgusting." Sherlock said, pinching his nose as he peered over John's shoulder. John laughed and cleaned up Ariadne's mess before slipping on a new diaper on her.

"There you go." He said, looking pleased. Ariadne stared at him, her eyes filled with wonder. Sherlock coughed loudly.

"Where did you learn to change diapers?" He asked. John smiled ruefully.

"I used to babysit my younger cousins a long time ago. Of course, Harry was supposed to help but I ended up being the on who changed diapers and cleaned up their messes."

"Do babies eat?" Sherlock asked. John stared at him.

"Are you seriou- Never mind. I've got milk ready for her." He said pointing to the bottle sitting on the coffee table. Sherlock grabbed it and handed it to Ariadne. She stared at it and dropped it, sending it rolling onto the floor. John stifled a snicker. "You're supposed to be the one holding the bottle." Sherlock looked flustered and waved him off. He sat Ariadne down on his lap and held the bottle to her lips.

Ariadne's tiny hands clasped the bottle loosely and she began drinking from the bottle happily. Sherlock looked relieved and watched her for a bit. John smiled as he watched Sherlock and Ariadne.

"She's getting used to you." John noticed. Sherlock glanced at him and smiled a little.

"Yes, I suppose."

The rest of the morning was spent trying to clear up some room and making the flat safe for Ariadne. Sherlock managed to lull her to sleep by playing the violin for her. She ended up sleeping back in Sherlock's bed while John and Sherlock baby-proofed the flat.

Sherlock had to clear away anything that might be dangerous for her. Reluctantly, he had to move all of his experiments and equipment into the spare room and had to throw away various body parts that were swimming around in jars.

"Do I have to?" Sherlock asked, looking like a petulant child. John sniggered.

"Yes. Ariadne would probably get scarred mentally if she saw all those fingers and eyeballs." Sherlock frowned and dumped the jars into a bin.

"Why do we have to do this again?" Sherlock asked grumpily.

"Ariadne might accidentally end up eating or playing with something dangerous." John sighed, as he explained for the fifth time that morning. "Here, throw these out will you?" He shoved the trash bags into Sherlock's arms. Sherlock scowled and dragged the bags on the floor, not bothering to carry them.

Once he returned, John patted him back.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Sherlock scowled and threw himself on the sofa.

"Lestrade texted. He says there's a new case." He said, looking like his old self again.

"No. You can't go on another case until Ariadne settles down properly. We still need to get her clothes and food and whatever else she needs." John said, shaking his head. Sherlock crossed his arms once more.

"Why don't you go and buy Ariadne's things and I'll go solve Lestrade's case." He suggested.

"No, Sherlock. She's your responsibility and you need to take care of her." John said firmly. They were interrupted by the soft wails of Ariadne coming from behind the door to Sherlock's room. Sherlock sighed and stood up. John watched him as he picked up Ariadne and calmed her down.

"Shhh…" Sherlock muttered. Ariadne's cries died down and she snuggled against Sherlock. He carried her back to where John was standing.

"I suppose getting Ariadne clothes and toys are… Important." Sherlock decided reluctantly. John hid a smug smile and shrugged.

"Fine. We'll leave after lunch. But Ariadne's got nothing to change into and she'll freeze just wearing that old dress." John said worriedly. Sherlock smirked.

"Don't worry, I can take care of her."

An hour later, John and Sherlock left Baker Street carrying Ariadne wrapped up in Sherlock's scarf. The top of her head peeped out and Sherlock smiled at her. Originally, John had been against the idea of wrapping Ariadne in scarves. He feared the poor infant would catch a cold but the second he started unraveling the scarves Ariadne started crying loudly.

"Great. It's not even been a day and she's already taken your side." John had told Sherlock grumpily.

Sherlock hailed a cab and soon, the three of them sped off to the nearest department store.

"Ariadne, no." Sherlock said firmly. She was tugging on Sherlock's hair and was attempting to taste it. He gently pulled her hands away from his head and sat her down on his lap. She reached back for his head but Sherlock shook his head.

"She's very stubborn." Sherlock said. John hid a smirk. _Like father like daughter._ He thought to himself. Sherlock looked out the window of the cab and sniffed indifferently as the department store loomed over them.

"I hate going to malls. The store assistants are annoyingly nosy." Sherlock said disdainfully.

"That's their job." John pointed out. Sherlock gave another sniff and turned away from the window. When they arrived, John paid the cabbie and they entered the mall. The colorful clothes instantly captured Ariadne's attention and she started reaching for them. Sherlock looked around, his face clearly saying how much he didn't want to be here. John guided Sherlock to the map of the store.

"Third floor is where we'll find what we need." Sherlock didn't respond. John supposed it was better this way. He really didn't want to hear another one of Sherlock's rants.

"You have to be kidding me." Sherlock said flatly as the arrived at the third floor. Baby clothes were everywhere and there were so many mothers carrying their children around. Sherlock felt so out of place and many of the sales assistants were eyeing him curiously. John also felt the same and almost decided to turn around and leave until Ariadne's face changed his mind. Her eyes were filled with wonder and she kept making excited noises and pointing.

"We'll start with the clothes first. Is that alright?" John suggested. Sherlock gave an indifferent shrug and turned to the nearest rack. Sherlock looked very clueless as he pawed through the baby dresses. Several mothers were shamelessly watching him and trying to catch his attention.

_Have these women no shame? They're married for crying out loud!_ John thought exasperatedly. Sherlock pulled out several dresses and leggings from the rack. He even managed to find her a little coat to match the one he wore along with a small scarf for her. Ariadne reached out for the scarf and when Sherlock gave it to her she promptly started drooling on it.

"John, I think I'm getting the hang of this." Sherlock said, keeping his eyes glued to the baby girl in his arms. John smiled but could feel the mothers glaring daggers at him. He took Ariadne from Sherlock and laughed as she held the now wet scarf out for him.

"I'll go pay." Sherlock said quickly, bustling off. John kept walking around and looking at the clothes displays but didn't really pay attention to them.

"Be patient with him." He told Ariadne. "He's new to this whole thing." Ariadne stared at him but her eyes looked like she understood what he was saying. It creeped him out a little but then again, this was Sherlock's daughter he was holding.

"I suppose you're about six months?" He continued, feeling slightly foolish for talking to an infant. "Lestrade might be able to find your birth certificate. We'll find out when you were born. We'll even throw you a birthday party, if you wanted."

"She's not going to talk back to you." Sherlock's voice said cooly. John whirled around and saw Sherlock standing behind him carrying a bag filled with Ariadne's clothes. John rolled his eyes.

"I know." He said. Sherlock smirked and started walking away. "Do try to keep up, John. The faster we get this shopping done, the faster we can go home." He called over his shoulder. John shook his head and steadied his grip on Ariadne before following Sherlock to the toy section of the department store.

John actually felt slightly relieved. Sherlock managed to pick out Ariadne's clothes without making much fuss and he hoped that Sherlock wouldn't cause any trouble for the rest of the day.

When they arrived on the fourth floor, Sherlock looked around disapprovingly. "I don't approve of these useless toys." He said.

"These 'useless toys' will keep Ariadne distracted, Sherlock." John said, trying to stop Ariadne from knocking one of the display toys over. Sherlock sighed.

"If we are going to get her toys, I don't want her to play with any of those noisy, obnoxious toys. I think its better if we find things that will help stimulate her mind."

"Sherlock, are you planning on letting Ariadne have fun in her childhood?"

"Oh shut up, John."

"Tell you what. I'll take Ariadne around to take a look at the stuffed toys and you can be in charge of buying the so called 'mind stimulating' toys." John offered. Sherlock looked disinterested but gave a slow nod.

"Fine. But don't take too long." He called as John turned and walked the other way. He sighed and walked around, randomly picking up toy boxes and placing them back on the shelves. He never did like toys, even when he was a child. He found them to be useless pieces of plastic that made noise and broke easily. The only toy he actually enjoyed playing with was a toy car Mycroft had given him for his fifth birthday. Sherlock had conducted various experiments with that car and even took it apart and put it back together himself.

"Hey! You're blocking my path, mister!" A small voice exclaimed. Sherlock glanced down and saw a small boy glaring at him. He was holding a remote control of some sort and a blue car was ramming itself against Sherlock's foot.

_Ah, remote control cars._

"Mister, can you move?" The boy said irritably. Sherlock frowned as he noticed the boy putting too much pressure on the car that clearly wouldn't move Sherlock's foot no matter how hard it tried.

"You're not doing it properly." Sherlock said, reaching for the remote control. The boy squealed in protest as Sherlock plucked it out of his hands.

"Give it back!" He shouted. Sherlock ignored him and fiddled with the controls slightly. To his delight, the car moved backwards and spun around. He flicked one of the joysticks and the car lurched forward.

"I should get myself one of these… Ow!" His musings were interrupted by a sharp kick to his leg. He looked down and saw the little boy hitting him and kicking him as hard as he could.

"GIVE IT BACK!" The boy shouted. Sherlock shook his head.

"Only good boys get to play." He said. The little boy gave up kicking Sherlock and started bawling. Sherlock looked around and saw many other parents shaking their heads and looking at him disapprovingly. "Oh dear, I didn't mean to…"

He trailed off as someone, probably the boy's mother, came and calmed down the crying child. She glared at Sherlock and turned her head away sharply as she led her son away from Sherlock.

"Honestly, Sherlock." John said as he walked up behind him. Sherlock turned around and looked slightly embarrassed.

"I didn't mean to make him cry. He was the one kicking me." He said indignantly.

"Did you manage to find something?" John asked. Sherlock glanced around and grabbed a set of picture books from the shelf.

"If we can find her some puzzles then I think- OH!" He broke off and rushed over to a pile of boxes on the other side of the store. John followed him wearily and stopped as he saw Sherlock holding the box towards him. Ariadne clapped happily while John shook his head.

"No. Sherlock, she's not old enough for this!"

"But it's a perfect microscope set for her!" Sherlock protested.

"For crying out loud, Sherlock she's not even a year old!" They both looked at Ariadne who was chewing on one of the stuffed animals John picked out.

"I think she's ready for this." Sherlock insisted stubbornly.

"Fine, it's your money we're spending anyways." John said, knowing it was useless to argue with him. Sherlock smiled triumphantly.

A few minutes later, they were in a cab speeding back to Baker Street. John ordered a crib to be delivered tomorrow morning. Sherlock refused to carry Ariadne around in a strap on carrier so John bought a pram for her.

When they got home, Sherlock raced up the stairs to their flat and shut himself in his room. John was left to bring Ariadne and the rest of the shopping bags upstairs with no help. He cursed Sherlock silently as he dragged the bags into their flat. He dumped them near the couch and glanced at Ariadne. She had fallen asleep on the way home and was now drooling slightly on his arm.

John pushed the door to Sherlock's room open and found Sherlock fast asleep as well. John shook his head and placed Ariadne next to Sherlock. She whimpered but didn't wake up.

As John shut the door to Sherlock's room, he heard someone walking into the flat. He whirled around and his eyes widened as he saw who it was.

"Hello, Doctor Watson."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thank you all so much for the reviews! They really motivate me to keep writing. Sorry if this took a while to update. After 3 rewrites and much frustration I've finally managed to finish this chapter. I'm not sure if you guys will like this chapter a lot but I promise that the next chapter will definitely be one of my favorites. So, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

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><p>"Mycroft? What are you doing here?" John demanded. Mycroft set aside his ever-present umbrella and looked at John.<p>

"I'm here to see the child Sherlock fathered. You didn't think you could keep her a secret, did you?" John sighed.

"Mycroft, it's only been a day." Mycroft gave a slight sniff and sat down on the couch.

"How is he dealing with all this?" He asked. John sat down next to him and clasped his hands together.

"Well, he's been surprisingly alright with the whole thing. I mean he did put up with going to the shops to buy Ariadne's things." John said. He explained to Mycroft everything that happened since Ariadne's arrival yesterday while Mycroft sat in deep thought.

"Huh. I knew his experiments would get him in trouble but I didn't anticipate this. He always claimed he was asexual." Mycroft said.

"Alcohol does funny things to man's mind." John added.

"What happened to Ariadne's mother?" Mycroft asked quietly. John shifted a little in his seat.

"I think she's dead. She left a letter for Sherlock with Ariadne but he never mentioned what it said in the letter other than that he's her only family now."

"Did he mention her name?"

"I think he said her name was Camille. He didn't give a surname though." John said, remembering. Mycroft gave another sniff.

"I will need to do background research on this Camille." Mycroft said as he stood up.

"That's not really necessary…" John said slowly. He shook his head and decided it was best not to question Mycroft's actions.

"Tell Sherlock I visited." Mycroft said over his shoulder as he exited the flat. John sighed and slumped back in his seat. He glanced at the clock and jumped off the couch. _6 o'clock already? _John thought. He decided it would be better to just get takeout while Sherlock and Ariadne slept. He slipped on a jacket and headed out.

/

Sherlock tossed and turned in his sleep. Blurry memories from _that_ night kept popping up in his head.

"_Sherlock? That's a funny name." The pretty brunette said in a soft Irish accent. Sherlock smiled at her._

"_You should hear my brother's name." She tilted her head and stared at him._

"_What's his name?"_

"_Mycroft." Sherlock said. The brunette laughed and laid a hand on his arm._

"_Wow, my name sounds so boring compared to you and your brother's." She joked. Sherlock looked down at her hand and smiled at her._

"_And your name is…?"_

"_Camille. Camille Morgan."_

Sherlock groaned and opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried not to think about her. She was different from the other women in that pub. Sherlock had seen in her eyes that she was hiding something, or rather running away from something. He didn't ask though, it was just a one-time thing. But ever since that night, he had returned to her apartment almost everyday for two weeks until she told him she never wanted to see him again.

Sherlock glanced at Ariadne's sleeping form and studied her carefully. She may have inherited his piercing blue-grey eyes but Sherlock could see some of Camille in her. She had the same nose and face shape as Camille, he noted.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs took his attention and he got off the bed and walked to the living room. John clearly just arrived and was carrying two boxes of takeout.

"Good, you're up." John said as he saw Sherlock watching him. He set the boxes down on the table and looked at Sherlock nervously.

"What's wrong?" Sherlock demanded.

"Mycroft came to visit. He wanted to talk to you about Ariadne. He also wanted to do a background check on Camille." John said. Sherlock frowned.

"He has no business meddling with my affairs." Sherlock said haughtily.

"Well, he _is_ your brother." John said meekly. Sherlock glared at him.

"That doesn't mean he has to poke about in my life." He grumbled. John fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"I suppose you're right." John said, trying to calm Sherlock down. Sherlock sniffed and sat down in his armchair.

"Pass the food, will you?" He said. John rolled his eyes and grabbed the food from the table. He thrust it into Sherlock's arms and shook his head.

"You are the most lazy person I have ever met." John said as he dug in.

There was a silence between the two of them as they ate. It wasn't a tense sort of silence. The two of them were just wrapped up in their thoughts to speak.

At around 8 o'clock, Ariadne woke up crying. Sherlock stood up and rushed to her side. Her little fists were waving about and her face was dotted with tears. Sherlock picked her up and soothed her.

"Shhh, it's alright." He said awkwardly. Ariadne whimpered and buried her face against him. A familiar scent was wafting from her and Sherlock cringed.

"John, she needs changing." He said as he went back to the living room. John shook his head.

"Oh no. Its your turn to change her." Sherlock frowned.

"Why? You are perfectly capable of doing it yourself. Why should I have to?"

"You're her father, Sherlock. I won't always be around. Besides, I forgot to tell you something rather important." John said smugly.

"What is it?" Sherlock asked curiously. John grinned.

"If you want to know, you'll have to change Ariadne's diaper." John said. Sherlock set Ariadne down on the sofa and crossed his arms.

"No. That's not fair." He protested. Ariadne started wailing again and John looked at her pointedly. Sherlock sighed in defeat.

"Fine."

John watched amusedly as Sherlock struggled with Ariadne's diaper. Once he managed to get it open, he gagged from the smell emanating from it.

"I don't understand how a mere baby can make such a mess." Sherlock said in disbelief as he surveyed the mess in the diaper. John wanted to laugh but was too scared of inhaling the smell of the diaper.

"Just shut up and change it already!" Sherlock gritted his teeth as he cleaned up Ariadne. He struggled madly to keep the diaper in place thanks to Ariadne's constant squirming.

"Done!" He said proudly, holding Ariadne up. John tilted his head slightly and laughed as he saw Ariadne wearing the lopsided diaper. The tape was barely sticking on the side of the diaper and John quickly secured its position.

"Not bad." John said. "She'll probably be keeping you up all night though since she slept for the afternoon." Sherlock shrugged.

"I was planning on doing more experiments tonight anyways. I wanted to see how fast it would take to boil a thumb until you can rip the flesh off." John looked disgusted and took Ariadne from Sherlock.

"On second thought, I'll try coax Ariadne back to sleep once she's fed." He said hastily. Sherlock smirked.

"So, what was the big news you wanted to tell me?" John's smile faltered a little.

"Right. So you know how you'll have to spend more time taking care of Ariadne now? I decided to start working again at the clinic. I start tomorrow." He said nervously.

"Why?" Sherlock asked.

"Because I need to do something by myself. I can't always stick with you and run around solving crimes. I need to put my medical skills to work." He added lamely.

"But you like solving crimes with me." Sherlock said, frowning. John sighed.

"Look, Sherlock. I know that I've always stuck with you but now that you have Ariadne, I realize that I haven't been living my life the way I want to. I've always been looking out for you and watching your back but I think that I'd like to have my own work and my own problems to solve." He said, hoping that he didn't offend Sherlock.

"Ah. I see. That's alright John. I should've anticipated this." Sherlock said. He felt slightly upset that John would be starting work again but he figured that it was for the best.

John seemed to be relieved by Sherlock's reaction and let out a breath.

"Good. Now we can talk about setting rules. If you're ok with this, that is." He added hastily.

"I'm open to whatever you have to say, John."

"Er, alright then. I actually only have one rule and that's _no bringing Ariadne to crime scenes_." He said firmly. Sherlock looked taken aback.

"Who's going to care of her if you're gone at work and I have a really important case?" He complained.

"I'm only working on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. You can go solve cases then." John said. "I know that she's your responsibility but I want her to grow up in an almost normal way."

"What do you mean 'almost normal'?" Sherlock asked, narrowing his eyes.

"The point is I want her to be happy and safe." John finished. Sherlock looked at him and then at the Ariadne who was pulling at John's sweater.

"Fine. You know you are getting rather good at winning our arguments." John smiled.

"I know." He said cheerfully. Ariadne hiccupped and John handed her the milk bottle he had been preparing while he and Sherlock were talking. She sucked on it greedily and her eyes closed in satisfaction.

"Its almost scary how quiet she is." John noted. "She seems to be very observant. Don't you get a bit freaked out about how she stares at you?" Sherlock looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"She stares at you as if she's taking in everything you're doing. She seems quite smart as well for her age."

"That's good. She must've inherited my brains." Sherlock said proudly. "I'll be able to teach her everything I know once she's ready. She might even learn how to deduce things." John groaned.

"I really hope she doesn't." Sherlock smiled and took Ariadne from John. She let go of her bottle and nuzzled against him. John watched as Sherlock hesitated before giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"Well, you've grown rather attached haven't you?" John said lightly. Sherlock kept his eyes on Ariadne.

"Can't help it. She's very charming."

"Ga ba." Ariadne squeaked. Sherlock's eyes lit up and he turned to John excitedly.

"Did you hear that? Her first word!" John rolled his eyes.

"Sherlock, that was hardly even a word." Sherlock ignored him and set Ariadne down on the couch. He took one of the picture books lying on the table and held it up to her.

"Now say 'The Little Engine That Could'." Ariadne stared at him blankly.

"Sherlock that's not going to w-" John started.

"John, do keep quiet. I'm trying to teach." John crossed his arms and sat down. For the rest of the evening, Sherlock read 'The Little Engine That Could' repeatedly to Ariadne but she simply would not say another word. By the fifth time Sherlock read it out loud, Ariadne had fallen fast asleep.

"Sherlock, she's asleep." John pointed out. Sherlock closed the book and set it down.

"I don't understand. Why won't she speak?"

"Let her grow into it Sherlock. You can't expect her to start speaking right now. She's still a bit young for that." Sherlock sighed and picked Ariadne up.

"You're right. You should get some sleep if you're going to start work tomorrow." Sherlock called as he marched into his room. John watched him and smiled.

"Yeah, alright. Good night then."

/

The next morning was rather hectic for John. He was due at the clinic at 9 and it was already 8:50 and he hadn't left the house yet.

"Sherlock! Where's my grey jumper?" He shouted frantically. Sherlock emerged from his room looking disgruntled.

"John, don't shout. Ariadne's still asleep."

"Sherlock, have you seen my grey jumper?" John said, ignoring him.

"I burned it." Sherlock said simply. John stopped what he was doing and faced Sherlock.

"You _burned_ my favorite jumper?" He asked incredulously. "_Why?_"

"It was part of an experiment." Sherlock said. John groaned and ran back to his room. A second later he ran out again, tugging a green jumper on. He grabbed his wallet and rushed out the flat.

"No bringing Ariadne on cases! Remember!" He called over his shoulder. Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"Yes _mummy_." He said sarcastically. He walked back to his room and found Ariadne awake and rolling around on the bed. She spotted him and reached out towards him. Sherlock smiled and picked her up.

"What do you want to do today, Ariadne?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hey guys! Judging from the number of review my last chapter got, I'm guessing you all didn't enjoy it much? I didn't like that chapter either. Anyways, sorry for the long wait. I had a lot of stuff going on in school and a few problems with my 'friends' so I didn't get to work much on the story. I apologize if Sherlock's deduction here was lame. I don't have a brilliant mind like his and its hard to imagine what he would say from the body. Anyways, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

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><p>Lestrade was confused.<p>

A day ago he had sent Sherlock a message about a new case they were working on but for some strange reason the detective hadn't even contacted or shown up. Sally had told him not to worry.

"Freak probably got himself in trouble. Either way at least he's not here to make us feel like total idiots."

Lestrade had to admit though that without Sherlock, all the cases they solved together probably would have taken five times longer to solve.

Today, there was a dead woman found in an abandoned warehouse near the docks and it was quite a puzzle. Lestrade fired off a message to Sherlock telling him about the body and where to go if he wanted to. With a heavy sigh, he tucked the phone away and walked towards the dead woman on the ground.

"Any ID?" He asked Anderson. Anderson checked the woman's pockets and pulled out a wallet.

"Says her name is Jennifer White." Lestrade glanced at the body and winced as he saw her legs. Her ankles ended in a bloody stump and her feet were nowhere to be found.

"My God, what happened to her?" He asked in disgust. Anderson shrugged.

"I checked around the warehouse but whoever did this to her must've taken her feet as well. I wonder why someone would even take her feet. Why would they want it?" Anderson wondered loudly.

"Stop thinking, Anderson. You might hurt yourself." A cold voice said. Lestrade and Anderson turned around and saw Sherlock standing there with a frown on his face. Anderson's hands bunched up into fists and he glared angrily at the consulting detective.

"Oh, look who shows up again." Anderson said snarkily. Lestrade couldn't help but sigh in relief when he saw Sherlock.

"I thought you weren't going to show…" He drifted off as he spotted the baby in Sherlock's arms. She looked no older than six months. Lestrade cleared his throat and shuffled around before looking at Sherlock.

"Sherlock, please tell me you didn't kidnap that child." Lestrade half-pleaded. Sherlock rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Alright, I did not kidnap this child." He said sarcastically.

"Sherlock…" Lestrade warned.

"Her name is Ariadne and she is my daughter." Sherlock said huffily. Anderson and Lestrade gaped at the little girl in his arms.

"Your daughter." Anderson flatly. "You have a _daughter_?"

"Yes, Anderson I just said that." Sherlock said impatiently. Lestrade was speechless. Sherlock had a daughter? He looked closer at the baby and noticed the resemblance between them. Her striking blue eyes were almost an exact copy as Sherlock's except they were a bit warmer and sparkled happily. Her dark hair curled like his too. Anderson still looked at Sherlock skeptically.

"Who on Earth would want to shag you?" He asked incredulously.

"Sherlock, why don't you take a look at the body?" Lestrade said, cutting him off. Sherlock gave a quick nod.

"Sure. Anderson, watch her for a bit. If you drop her I will poison you." He threatened. Anderson protested as Sherlock handed the baby to him.

"But I don't-"

"Just make yourself useful for once." Sherlock said irritably. Anderson shut his mouth and stared at Ariadne. She stared right back at him. Her oddly focused gaze made him uncomfortable and he looked away from her.

Sherlock gazed down at the body and narrowed his eyes. Lestrade could almost hear the gears whirring in his brain. After examining the body and checking its pockets, he faced Lestrade.

"Her fiancé killed her." Sherlock said simply.

"How could you possibly know that?" Lestrade asked in wonder. No matter how many times Sherlock did his 'deductions' it still never failed to impress and amaze him.

"Its quite obvious, really. I'm surprised that Anderson didn't see the clues. There was a cufflink on the ground next to her, probably broke off during the struggle. There is an engraving on it which says, 'To Edward, Love Jenny" which probably means it belongs to her fiancé. Why do I keep saying fiancé? It's quite obvious from the engagement ring on her finger. Now, why would he kill her? There's a letter in her pocket addressed to Edward Pierce from a Ms. Isabella Smith. After a quick read over it I found that Ms. Isabella was Edward's mistress. When Jennifer found out she confronted him and he knocked her out, brought her here and wacked her repeatedly over the head making her bleed out and die."

Lestrade blinked. Anderson looked grumpy. Ariadne had been tugging on his hair and drooling all over him.

"What explains her missing feet?" He shot. Sherlock stared at him boredly.

"I believe that Edward has a foot fetish. That would explain why he took her feet after killing her. The only reason he stayed with her for that long was probably because of her feet. So he took it after killing her." Anderson looked annoyed.

"Humph. Now that you're done _contaminating_ my crime scene you can take your demon spawn and- AH!" Ariadne promptly vomited down the front of his shirt and burst into tears. Lestrade laughed at Anderson's furious and disgusted expression as he stared down at the mess Ariadne made.

"Now you've upset her." Sherlock said crossly. Lestrade, however, could see an amused glint in his eyes as he took Ariadne away from Anderson. He glared at Sherlock furiously.

"I bet you've brainwashed her into doing that." He shouted. Sherlock ignored him and wiped Ariadne off with a handkerchief.

"Did Anderson's stupidity get to you?" He murmured smugly. Anderson opened his mouth to argue but Lestrade waved him off.

"Anderson, just leave it. Go clean yourself up." He ordered. Anderson shot a filthy look at Sherlock before stalking away angrily. Ariadne had calmed down and was now chewing Sherlock's scarf.

"If you excuse me, Lestrade. I think I'll need to feed Ariadne. Next time, try to find a more interesting case, ok?" Sherlock said as he walked off. Lestrade couldn't help but sigh as he watched the detective leave.

Sometimes he just didn't know what to expect with that man.

/

Sherlock walked off feeling proud of Ariadne. "You were brilliant." He praised her. "You should do that to Anderson more often." Ariadne gurgled happily and snuggled against him. Sherlock planted a kiss on her head and held her closer.

It still felt strange to him all this _parenting_ business. He knew that John was worried that something would happen to Ariadne under his care and secretly, Sherlock worried the same thing. If something happened to her because of him, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

Ariadne's tugging on his scarf snapped him out of his thoughts and he glanced down at her. "Oh, alright let's get you home."

When the pulled up in front of the flat, Sherlock spotted a familiar black car parked nearby.

_Mycroft._

With a heavy sigh, he paid the cabbie and got out of the taxi. He stalked over to the door, threw it open and stomped up the stairs. The door to the flat was opened slightly. He entered slowly and spotted Mycroft sitting in _his_ chair.

"What do you want, Mycroft?" Sherlock said through gritted teeth. Mycroft gave him a withering smile and stood up.

"So, this is Ariadne." He said, ignoring Sherlock. He eyed her surreptitiously and hesitantly reached out for her. To everyone's surprise she reached out for him. Sherlock narrowed his eyes at Mycroft but allowed him to take her from him.

Mycroft held her carefully. "She looks like you." He said. Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"Of course she does. Now tell me, why are you here?" He demanded. Mycroft looked away from Ariadne and looked at Sherlock.

"I just came to talk." He said, handing Ariadne back to Sherlock. He pulled out a file from his coat and opened it. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"Camille Morgan. Born April 16, 1985 in Dublin." He read out loud. Sherlock rolled his eyes and set Ariadne down in her crib.

"You actually went and dug up information on Ariadne's dead mother? Mycroft, can't you mind your own business?" He growled. Mycroft ignored him and kept reading.

"Was placed in the witness protection program in 2006 after James Moriarty broke out of jail. Reason for placement in program: Testified against James Moriarty in the trial leading to his arrest." He finished. Sherlock froze. He turned around and stared at Mycroft.

"Why are you telling me this? It doesn't matter anyways. She's gone." Sherlock said coldly. Mycroft looked at him in despair.

"What if he comes after the child, hmm? What will you do then?" He said sharply. Sherlock stiffened and glared at him.

"If he touches a single hair on her head, I will kill him." He spat.

"Just be careful, Sherlock. Don't bring her out too often. I will of course do my best to keep tabs on him but he's managed to elude us for quite a while. Camille might have thought she was safe. For all we know, he might have been keeping an eye on her for some time."

Sherlock glanced at Ariadne who was waving her tiny fists around and squealing happily, oblivious to the palpable tension between the two brothers. He sighed and looked back at Mycroft.

"Was Camille even her real name?" He asked quietly. Mycroft looked solemnly down at the file.

"Probably not. Most people entered into the witness protection programs get assigned a new name, a new identity."

Sherlock stayed silent. Mycroft opened the file again and handed Sherlock a piece of paper.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Ariadne's birth certificate. I managed to get a copy for you." Mycroft said. Sherlock looked at it for moment and then looked at Mycroft.

"Thank you." He said quietly. Mycroft gave him a regal nod and checked his watch.

"I should get going. Be careful, Sherlock." He warned before leaving the flat.

Sherlock closed his eyes and exhaled a breath. He opened them once more and walked over to Ariadne's crib. She had fallen asleep again and was sleeping peacefully, an arm thrown over a stuffed animal. Sherlock couldn't help but smile a little at this sight. He leaned down and brushed away a curl from her face. He grabbed John's laptop and sat down at the table, typing away feverishly.

It was around 5 o'clock when John arrived home. Sherlock didn't even look up from the computer and gave a grunt when John greeted him.

"How was your day? Did you manage fine?" John asked curiously. Ariadne was rolling around in her crib and squealed loudly when John came near. He picked her up and she nuzzled against him. Sherlock didn't reply and continued tapping away at the computer. John sighed and sat down on the sofa with Ariadne.

"How was your day?" Sherlock asked after a while. John was surprised but smiled a little.

"It was relatively boring. There wasn't much to do all day so I ended up working a little on my blog." John sighed. Sherlock was still typing away.

"Hmm? Lestrade couldn't have sent me a more boring case." He said absentmindedly. John stiffened.

"Case? What case?" He said, narrowing his eyes at the detective. Sherlock seemed to have realized his little mistake and looked at John.

"Well, it was rather urgent." He said. John shook his head.

"You never listen, do you?" He said firmly. John knew that there was no stopping Sherlock.

"She did something good at the crime scene though." Sherlock said amusedly. John raised an eyebrow.

"Something good? She's only 6 months old Sherlock."

"6 and a half." He muttered under his breath. "But that's not the point. She vomited on Anderson after he called her a terrible name." John blinked.

"She… She _vomited_ on Anderson? What did he call her?" He asked, laughing lightly. Sherlock smirked.

"Demon spawn."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews and for all of you who subscribed to this story! There is a time skip here which means that it will be Ariadne's birthday in this chapter. Sorry if it seems like I'm rushing again, I just needed her to grow a bit older before I bring in the good stuff.

**Disclaimer: **I forgot to put this in before so I might as well put it now. I own nothing except Ariadne. If I owned Sherlock, I wouldn't be in my room sobbing over Reichenbach.

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

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><p>It had been nearly six months since Ariadne arrived at Baker Street and everyone could see the impact she had on Sherlock. The detective's cold façade melted away whenever Ariadne was nearby and the looks he gave her were of pure adoration.<p>

There was something about her eyes that made everyone love her at once. While her eyes were the same greyish blue as Sherlock's, hers were filled with warmth and laughter. Even Sally couldn't help but coo over her whenever Sherlock brought her along to one of his crime scenes.

Ariadne grew up quite happy despite the number of odd things she saw everyday at the flat. John still remembered the day she said her first word. They had been sitting at home watching the telly when Sherlock burst into the room shouting, "Bored, bored, bored! I need a case, John. I need a _case_!" John tried to keep him quiet so he wouldn't startle Ariadne.

Sherlock had thrown himself down on the couch and sulked for a good ten minutes before a tiny voice snapped him out of it.

"Bord." John and Sherlock gazed at the child who was sitting in her crib. She smiled toothily before repeating, "Bord!" She shouted, flailing her arms around. Sherlock's face lit up with excitement and he picked Ariadne up and spun her around excitedly.

"John, did you hear that? Her first word, 'bored'!" He exclaimed with glee. John smiled as he watched the detective praise the squealing girl.

Molly had been quite surprised when Sherlock strode into her lab carrying Ariadne and she seemed a little put off by the child. John had noticed she also looked somewhat disappointed at first. Eventually Ariadne's smiles won her over and Molly became rather close to Ariadne.

It was now early April and John was getting ready for Ariadne's birthday. When he asked Sherlock if he wanted to have a little get together with a few people to celebrate her birthday, the detective surprised John by answering yes.

"As long as Anderson keeps his mouth shut. I don't want him damaging Ariadne's developing mind." He added. John rolled his eyes but told him he'd do what he could. He decided to invite Lestrade, Molly and of course, Mrs. Hudson. He also invited Mycroft; he was Ariadne's uncle after all.

The party was happening tonight and there was nothing ready except for a few bottles of wine and John was panicking. It didn't help that Sherlock was off in his room experimenting and Ariadne was wailing in her crib.

"Sherlock? Can you please calm her down?" John shouted as he tried to appease Ariadne. Sherlock poked his head out of his room and stepped out when he saw Ariadne's tears.

"Shhh… It's ok." He whispered. Ariadne stopped crying and hugged him back.

"Dada." She said against his shoulder. Sherlock smiled a little and frowned when he saw John's ruffled state.

"What's wrong?" He asked. John gave a huff.

"The party is starting in a few hours and there's no food ready." He nearly shouted.

"What's all this about?" Mrs. Hudson asked as she entered the flat.

"Ah, Mrs. Hudson. Do you think you could help John? He's a bit flustered about tonight's party." Sherlock said. Mrs. Hudson took in John's expression and smiled.

"Of course, dear." John let out a relieved breath.

"You are a life-saver, Mrs. Hudson." Sherlock watched Mrs. Hudson and John hurry into the kitchen to finish off the rest of the preparations for the evening. Ariadne tugged on his hair insistently.

"Dada dow." She said. Sherlock set her down gently and she crawled over to her toys. Sherlock watched as she carefully stacked the blocks in a neat tower before knocking it over with her fist, clapping happily as she watched the blocks tumble down. Sherlock had noticed she was unusually quiet for a one year old. She seemed to be absorbing in everything around her all the time.

At around 6 o'clock, John finally emerged from the kitchen looking tired but happy. "Everything's finally ready. Is Ariadne dressed?" He asked. Ariadne crawled to him and raised her arms up.

"Unca Jawn, up!" She demanded. John laughed and picked her up, noticing the little black dress she was wearing. He kissed her cheek fondly and walked over to Sherlock's room.

"Sherlock, are you ready? People will be arriving soon." He shouted. The door opened and Sherlock emerged wearing a dark purple shirt with his regular black pants. He looked slightly irritated.

"I still can't believe you invited Mycroft and Anderson." He grumbled. John rolled his eyes.

"Just try and act a little civil towards them. Or you can ignore them if you want." He suggested. Sherlock gave a little sniff and sat down in his chair.

Soon, people started arriving. Molly was one of the first to arrive bearing a small gift for Ariadne. She set it down in front of the child who ripped the wrapping paper apart with glee. She squealed with joy as she pulled out a stuffed dog. Molly smiled down adoringly at Ariadne and turned around to see Sherlock watching.

"Oh! Evening, Sherlock." Molly squeaked. Sherlock just gave her a slight nod before picking Ariadne off the ground. She clutched her stuffed dog tightly in her arms and suddenly made a face at something behind Sherlock.

"What's wrong?" He asked, turning around. Anderson and Sally were standing in the doorway eyeing Sherlock. Anderson was glaring at Ariadne who ducked her head.

"Hello, freak." Sally greeted. Sherlock curled his fists.

"Please, not in front of Ariadne." He said coldly. Sally ignored him and strode past.

"I can call you whatever I want. You've made us look like fools before. Why shouldn't I have some fun?"

"Sally, keep your mouth shut." Lestrade's voice said wearily. Sally stiffened as Lestrade entered the room.

"Sorry, Sherlock. I would have thought she could behave herself for Ariadne." He said pointedly. Sally frowned and crossed her arms. She marched off angrily, Anderson following her. Sherlock watched as Lestrade pulled out a small wrapped box from his jacket.

"Just a little something for her." He said, grinning as he held it out. Ariadne peeked out over Sherlock's shoulder and saw the little box.

"Whassat?" She asked shyly. Lestrade smiled and handed it to her. She smiled back and tore the wrapper off eagerly. She took the lid off the box and Sherlock got a glimpse of what was inside.

Inside the box was a smaller version of Sherlock's deerstalker hat.

Ariadne pulled it out and eyed it curiously. After a moment she placed it on her head and smiled at Sherlock. "Dada, hat?" Lestrade watched Sherlock's reaction but was surprised to find the detective smiling at Ariadne.

"She's got you wrapped around her finger, hasn't she?" Lestrade said.

"You could say that." Sherlock said, smiling. Ariadne hugged him and pointed to the ground. Sherlock set her down and watched as she unsteadily tried to stand. She wobbled slightly and as she tried taking a step forward, she fell. Lestrade noticed she didn't cry though. She had that same frustrated look on her face that Sherlock had sometimes and she held her arms out to Sherlock who picked her up again.

"I'll go check on John." Sherlock said, excusing himself.

The rest of the evening went on well. Sherlock managed to hold his tongue around Sally and Anderson and everyone was laughing and chattering happily. John looked around the room at their friends (possibly excluding Sally and Anderson in Sherlock's case) and felt a sense of belonging sweep through him. The only person missing from the party was Mycroft.

He felt something tugging on his pant leg and he saw Ariadne rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Looks like its someone's bedtime." John said as he picked her up. She yawned and rested her head against the good doctor's shoulder. John caught Sherlock's eye and he gave the detective a nod. Sherlock nodded back and John carried Ariadne to Sherlock's room and laid her down on his bed gently.

"Good night, Ariadne." He whispered. Her eyes fluttered open but they closed quickly. She rolled over and was quiet. John backed out of the room quietly and closed the door.

The moment he stepped back into the party, he sensed something was a bit off. He looked around for Sherlock and found him talking quietly to Mycroft near the door. They weren't arguing but there was tension between the two. John started walking towards the Holmes brothers but was stopped by Mrs. Hudson.

"Oh, this such a lovely get together John." She said happily. John didn't want to brush her off rudely so he stopped and talked to her for a bit. He couldn't help but glance back every so often at the brothers and before long, Mycroft had left, leaving Sherlock with a box, possibly a present for Ariadne.

John excused himself and hurried over to Sherlock. "Why didn't he stay?" He asked. Sherlock looked a little distracted and blinked as he registered John's question.

"Hmmm? Oh, he was a little tied up at work. He said he couldn't stay long." He said vaguely. John could tell that there was a little more than that but he didn't want to ask any questions so he nodded instead.

"Right." John said awkwardly. They stood there for a while in silence before Sherlock broke it.

"Leaving so soon, Anderson? Sally?" He asked, amusedly. John turned around and saw the two of them heading their way. Anderson sniffed.

"Yes. Tell your _daughter_ 'happy birthday' for me." He said haughtily. Sherlock eyed him up and down and smirked.

"Taking Sergeant Donovan home with you?" He mused. Sally looked outraged and stomped out of the flat stormily. Anderson shot him a filthy look and followed after her. John shook his head.

"You can't go a day without taking a stab at those two, can you?" John said amusedly. Sherlock gave a small grin and closed the door.

"Let's get back to the party, shall we?"

The two of them made their way back to the kitchen where most of the people were. Molly was watching Sherlock nervously, still trying to figure out where Ariadne came from. She sipped her wine tentatively and tried to pay attention to what Lestrade was saying but Molly couldn't help but think back to the day when she first met Ariadne.

"_Molly, I need a favour."_

_Molly's heart thumped as she heard the familiar command behind her. She looked away from the body she was leaning over and turned around, a small smile on her face. That smile faded away quickly as she saw whom Sherlock was with. _

_In Sherlock's arms was a baby girl._

_Molly froze and eyed the baby nervously. She looked at least six months old and she definitely had the same blue-grey eyes that Sherlock had. The same eyes that always made her knees feel weak if she stared for too long. Sherlock snapped his fingers impatiently._

"_Molly, I need to borrow your microscope." He said irritably. Molly jumped a little and squeaked out a response before uncovering the microscope. Sherlock gave her a nod and handed the baby to her._

"_Wh-what? I can't carry her!" Molly protested. She didn't want to be so close to a child that was clearly Sherlock's. It made her feel a little jealous of the girl's mother._

"_You're already carrying her, Molly." Sherlock said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes as he peered through the microscope. Molly swallowed and looked at the baby girl who stared right back at her curiously._

"_H-hello." She stammered. The baby girl tilted her head before nuzzling against her neck affectionately. Molly was surprised by this but hugged the child back carefully. "She's adorable." She told Sherlock happily, all previous feelings of jealousy disappearing. Sherlock hid a smile._

"_Molly, meet Ariadne. Ariadne Holmes."_

Molly snapped back to reality when she realized that Lestrade was asking her something.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" She asked meekly. The detective inspector coughed.

"Do you need a ride home? It's getting pretty late." He offered. Molly was taken aback by his offer and blushed a little.

"Th-thank you so much." She said. Lestrade smiled at her.

John listened to the exchange between their two friends and smiled. _Molly and Lestrade? Who knew?_

A half hour later, Lestrade and Molly decided to head home. Molly realized she had forgotten to feed her cat and was rushing to get back. John and Sherlock said goodbye to them and helped Mrs. Hudson clear up the mess.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" John asked Sherlock.

"Hmmm, I suppose." He said slowly. "Although the conversations were a bit boring, at least Ariadne has new things." John smiled. Sherlock always looked out for Ariadne before himself. It was nice to see the detective caring so much about someone yet at the same time it was rather strange.

"I'll just bring this downstairs." John said, carrying a plastic bag filled with garbage. Sherlock gave him a short nod and John followed Mrs. Hudson down the stairs.

Sherlock straightened up properly and yawned loudly, loud enough to cover the sound of the door to his room creaking open.

"My, my, my. The great Sherlock Holmes playing Happy Families? Now this was something I was _definitely_ not expecting."

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><p><strong>Yeah, this chapter seemed a bit like it was all over the place but hey, my favorite character has returned! Please review! It would mean a lot to me!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Ack! I am so so so sorry for the long wait. I had a lot of stuff to deal with at school and there's so much stuff going down between my friends it's driving me insane. I'm planning on getting the action started around the ninth or tenth chapter, maybe earlier, but I will take prompts from people if they have any to fill in the chapters leading up to the action. Thanks once again to all that subscribed and faved and reviewed my story! I love you all so much I would hug you if I could. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot and Ariadne!

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

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><p>Sherlock's face morphed into a mask of cold fury as he heard the familiar Irish drawl behind him. He turned around slowly and saw the consulting criminal standing behind him.<p>

"Hi!" Moriarty greeted cheerfully. Sherlock's jaw clenched as he saw him carrying the sleeping Ariadne in his arms. Moriarty smirked at Sherlock's reaction and brought his face closer to the child's. "She's just an angel, isn't she?" He taunted.

"Let go of her." Sherlock growled menacingly. Moriarty paid no attention to Sherlock and leaned closer to study Ariadne's face.

"Such a shame she didn't get to meet her uncle Jim." He sighed. "I brought her such a lovely gift as well. Oh, well." Sherlock stiffened as Moriarty's fingers curled themselves in Ariadne's curls.

"What do you want?" Sherlock asked coldly. Moriarty walked towards Sherlock, still clutching Ariadne in his arms. She whimpered in her sleep but didn't wake up. Moriarty gazed at Sherlock's face carefully.

"I'm guessing your big brother warned you that I was coming. I can see why you weren't surprised. What a shame." Moriarty said in a singsong voice.

"Why are you _here_?" Sherlock hissed. Moriarty held a finger to his lips.

"Shhh! Wouldn't want to wake her now, would you?" He said in a mocking whisper. Sherlock knew he couldn't do anything while Moriarty had Ariadne in his arms. It was too dangerous.

Moriarty set Ariadne down on the sofa and faced Sherlock. "I've come to play another game with you! Aren't you excited?" Sherlock said nothing but gazed stonily at him. Moriarty sighed.

"The only thing is, you've made this game way too easy for me. You see, I've decided to see how long it would take for me to find your heart and burn it. But it seems that I've already found it. Or should I say, _her_?" Sherlock found himself looking at Ariadne quickly and when he looked back at Moriarty, he saw that the Irishman was grinning.

"You've become domestic, my dear Sherlock. _Happy_ even. And that just won't do." Moriarty said, shaking his head. "I thought I found someone I could play with. Someone extraordinary. But no, you're just like everyone else. _Normal._" He spat. Sherlock watched him with narrowed eyes.

"Is that the only reason you came here? Because I wasn't what you expected?" Sherlock asked coldly. Moriarty stared at him, looking offended.

"No, no, no! Of course not!" He cried. Then his expression quickly changed into something sinister and her walked up to Sherlock and came face to face with him. "A new game has begun, Sherlock. But this time, there will be only one winner. _Me._" He hissed. Sherlock's face remained blank as Moriarty pulled away from him. The sudden smile that grew on his face was startling but Sherlock could see no trace of warmth in his eyes.

"I'll be seeing you around, my dear. Ta ta!" Moriarty waved as he exited the flat. Sherlock found himself releasing the breath he had been holding back and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes once more. He walked over to Ariadne's side and looked her over, searching for anything that Moriarty might have done or placed on her.

Sherlock spotted a silver chain around her neck and pulled it gently. A small silver crown dangled from the chain and Sherlock stared at it in disgust. He took the chain off Ariadne, careful not to wake her. He held up the chain and spotted something engraved at the back of the crown.

A picture of a dollar sign and a pair of handcuffs were engraved at the back and the words 'Love, Uncle Jim' were etched below the images. Sherlock frowned at the pendant. Moriarty was up to something and Sherlock needed to know what.

He closed his fist around the chain and paced around, occasionally glancing at Ariadne sleeping on the couch. One thing bothered him immensely, however. The fact that Moriarty broke into their home without their notice was frightening because who knows how long he stayed with Ariadne in that room? He could have hurt her but for some reason, he didn't.

"Sherlock?" John's voice snapped Sherlock out of his thoughts. He stopped pacing and looked at John. "Is everything alright?" John asked nervously. Sherlock looked as though he wanted to throw something.

"Look at this." Sherlock said, walking up to John and thrusting the chain into his hands. John looked at it, not really getting what Sherlock was trying to say until he flipped the crown over and saw Moriarty's message.

"How did he…?" John said, still astounded. Sherlock had thrown himself in his chair and drummed his fingers against the armrest.

"He got in through the window. He was in my room, John. Where Ariadne was _sleeping_." Sherlock said bitterly. John looked down at the chain once more and then at Ariadne's sleeping form.

"Did she see him?" He asked quietly.

"I don't think so. When I saw him carrying her out… Mycroft warned me he was coming." Sherlock said angrily. John shuddered at the thought of Moriarty carrying Ariadne. Sherlock must've felt so helpless watching the criminal mastermind and Ariadne.

"Well, what did he want?" John asked hesitantly.

"A new game." Sherlock muttered. "A new _game._ The only clue I have is those wretched markings on the back of that crown." John looked at the image of the dollar sign and the handcuffs.

"Maybe he's planning some kind of robbery?" John guessed. Sherlock shook his head.

"Too obvious. He's planning something big, John." He said thoughtfully. John sighed. He couldn't deal with this right now. He was tired and it was late and the thought of Moriarty in the same room as Ariadne made him sick.

"We'll deal with this tomorrow. I can't think properly right now, Sherlock." John mumbled, carrying Ariadne off the couch. Sherlock grunted, still deep in thought. John set Ariadne down in Sherlock's bed and walked to his room. The moment his head touched his pillow, he drifted off to sleep.

Downstairs, Sherlock was in his room, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling.

"_You're just like everyone else. __**Normal.**__"_ Sherlock slammed his hand down on the mattress angrily. Next to him, Ariadne stirred and whimpered in her sleep. Sherlock immediately felt guilty for startling her and rolled on his side to look at her.

Ariadne's face looked so angelic in her sleeping state but her forehead was furrowed in a frown. Sherlock found himself smiling a little and he leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. Ariadne snuggled near him and Sherlock held her close. Never in a million years did he imagine himself falling asleep with a child, _his daughter_, sleeping in his arms.

/

The next morning, John walked into Sherlock's room and paused in the doorway as he saw the sight in front of him. Sherlock had a slight smile on his face as he held Ariadne to him. John smiled and walked backwards out of the room quietly, closing the door as gently as he could.

"Unca Jawn?"

John entered the room again and saw Ariadne looking at him sleepily. She wriggled out of Sherlock's embrace and accidentally woke Sherlock up. He sat straight up in bed, his curls sticking out all over the place and he rubbed his eyes sleepily. John bit back a laugh as he realized Ariadne and Sherlock mirroring each other's actions unconsciously.

"Yes, Ariadne?" John said amusedly. Ariadne rubbed her eyes and reached for him.

"Bwekfast." She mumbled. John laughed and walked over to the bed. Sherlock was sitting up properly and yawned loudly.

"Up dada, up!" Ariadne insisted, now more awake. She tugged on Sherlock's arm and Sherlock laughed.

"All right, let's go." He said, giving in. Ariadne squealed and lowered herself slowly onto the floor. John followed her as she toddled unsteadily out of the room.

"You coming, Sherlock?" John asked, looking over his shoulder. Sherlock gave a nod and jumped off the bed.

"Keep an eye on her today. I'm going to do a bit of investigating." Sherlock said in a low voice as he passed. John sighed. _Moriarty._ He nodded and Sherlock lifted Ariadne up and set her down in her high chair. He pushed a plate of bread with jam on it towards her.

"No." She said, crossing her arms. Sherlock sighed.

"Ariadne, please. I forgot to get you your normal baby food." He said, making a face. Ariadne still enjoyed eating the mushy baby food Sherlock found repulsing. Ariadne shook her head stubbornly.

"No bread. Mush food!" She demanded. Sherlock shot John an exasperated look.

"She's so stubborn." Sherlock complained. "Can't you do anything about this?" He said, gesturing to Ariadne slamming her hands on the table and shouting 'No!'. John shook his head, smiling.

"She's just like you. Stubborn and headstrong." John muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Sherlock asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing." John said quickly. Sherlock frowned but let it go. He walked back to Ariadne and took away her plate of uneaten bread.

"Fine, I'll get you your baby food." He said in defeat. Ariadne smiled widely and hugged Sherlock.

"Love you, dada." She said happily. Sherlock looked frozen for a second before hugging her back. He carried her out of the high chair and set her down.

"Sherlock, you're spoiling her." John said. Sherlock shrugged. He pulled on that ridiculously long coat and wrapped his scarf around his neck before helping Ariadne into a similar coat.

"John, if you want to have breakfast with us I suggest you put on a coat too." Sherlock said as he carried Ariadne down the stairs. Ariadne peered over Sherlock's shoulder and waved her hands.

"Hurry Unca Jawn!" She said. John rolled his eyes.

_Like father like daughter. _John thought. He locked the door to their flat and hurried down the stairs after them. Sherlock was standing on the side of the road looking around for a cab.

"Taxi!" Sherlock shouted, waving one down. John opened the door for Sherlock to slide in with Ariadne and shut the door behind him.

A few minutes later, they ended up inside a small diner near Scotland Yard. Sherlock was feeding Ariadne bits of the pancakes he had and John was wolfing down a platter of eggs and sausages. Ariadne refused to eat the pancakes unless they were slathered with maple syrup.

"More dada, more!" She demanded imperiously. Sherlock sighed and emptied out the bottle of maple syrup onto the small stack of pancakes. Ariadne clapped happily and slammed her hands down on the sticky pile in her excitement. Maple syrup splattered onto Sherlock's shocked face and on John as well.

"Ariadne!" John exclaimed. People were staring at the mess and Ariadne started pouting.

"I sowy." Ariadne mumbled, looking at her sticky hands. John melted at the sight of Ariadne's downcast expression.

"Its alright. I'll go get napkins to wipe up this mess. Sherlock, try clean up her hands will you?" John instructed as he slid out of their booth. Sherlock picked up a napkin and patted the sticky syrup off Ariadne's hands and shirt.

It took a while since Ariadne kept slapping the pile of pancakes again resulting in the syrup flying everywhere again. Sherlock finally ended up using Ariadne's scarf to wipe up the rest of mess since John ended up pissing off the waiters by taking all the napkins.

As he slipped the small scarf into his coat pocket, he felt the cool metal of a chain against his hand. He curled his fingers around it and pulled it out, eyeing the offending chain wearily. Ariadne's eyes widened at the sight of the crown dangling off the chain and made a grab for it.

"Mine." She said, yanking it out of Sherlock's hand. John looked at Sherlock, watching for his reaction. He knew Sherlock hated Moriarty and anything to do with him and if Ariadne was wearing something from Moriarty… John shuddered at the thought.

"Don't eat it." Sherlock murmured. Ariadne tiled her head and swung the chain around enthusiastically. John was surprised at Sherlock's reaction but didn't ask.

"We should get going." He told Sherlock. The detective nodded absentmindedly.

"Yes, we should. Ariadne, here." He said, taking the chain from her grasp and slipping it around her neck easily. Ariadne squealed with joy and her little hands closed around the crown.

"Yay dada!" She cried. Sherlock gathered her in his arms and stood up.

"John," He said as he stopped near the door.

"Yeah?" The good doctor asked.

"Isn't it Monday today?" Sherlock pointed out. John's face was blank for a moment until realization hit him hard.

"Oh no, the clinic!"

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah so I decided to end it here. Sorry if it seems like a bad ending. I felt like I was just rambling on and on and on. Again, I take prompts now so share your ideas if you have any!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** AAAAHHHH! First of all I want to thank all you lovely people for reviewing and subscribing and adding this story to your favorites! I have to admit, when I first wrote Moriarty in the last chapter I was worried you guys wouldn't like how I wrote him but I'm really surprised to see that you all liked him so thanks! Every review I get puts an idiotic smile on my face and it makes me ridiculously happy and I love you all for making me smile with your reviews.

Second, I wasn't planning on updating until Wednesday because I have a history project to work on this week but since it's my birthday today, I thought I'd give you guys something to read.

**TeamDallow** Thank you so much for your review! I have to say, you are probably the only person who mentioned something about Camille and I'm pretty impressed. She does play a huge role in this story but I'm not going to say anything about that right now ;)

Several of you asked for more daddy!Sherlock and so I have written more to satisfy your whims. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:**I own nothing but the plot and Ariadne!

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

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><p>"Morning, Sherlock!" Lestrade greeted as the detective swept into the building. Lestrade raised an eyebrow as Ariadne toddled in after Sherlock, wearing a similar coat and scarf.<p>

"Hi Unca Gweg." She said, looking up at him. Lestrade smiled and picked her up.

"Where's John?" He asked, noticing the doctor's absence from the detective's side. Ariadne pulled on her scarf and sucked the edge in absentmindedly.

"Unca Jawn at work." She said in a muffled tone. Lestrade set her down and she hurried over to Sherlock. "Dada, penshil." She cried, pointing at the cup of pens on Lestrade's desk. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and handed it to her. She grasped it in her small hands and sat down near the door. Her eyebrows were scrunched up in concentration as she drew lines vigorously across the page.

Lestrade looked at Sherlock, who was pacing around the room. "So, what brings you here today?" He asked. Sherlock stopped his pacing and looked at Lestrade with serious eyes.

"I had a visitor last night after the party." Sherlock said quietly. Lestrade frowned, not understanding.

"Visitor? What do you mean?" He jumped as Sherlock slammed his hand down on the table angrily. Ariadne looked up with a startled expression. Her lower lip trembled but she didn't cry. She looked at Sherlock worriedly.

"He's back. He's back and he's planning something. I don't know what it is but the only clue he left is on that wretched necklace he left for Ariadne." He hissed furiously. Lestrade had never seen Sherlock this angry. Even he felt a little scared of what Sherlock might do to the criminal mastermind once he gets caught.

"Hold on, what necklace?" Lestrade asked slowly. Sherlock glanced at Ariadne and Lestrade could see a silver crown dangling on a chain around her neck. Sherlock squatted down next to Ariadne and carefully took the chain off her. She frowned but continued scribbling away on her paper.

"He's taunting us." Sherlock growled. Lestrade flipped the crown over and frowned at the etchings on the back.

"This could just be nonsense." Lestrade said slowly. Sherlock was pacing once more, his coat flapping ominously behind him. He faced Lestrade.

"Can you find him? Try to keep tabs on him if you can?" He asked urgently.

"Sherlock, he's eluded us for ages. Its not that easy to-"

"Please. For her." Sherlock said softly. Lestrade looked at Ariadne and sighed.

"I'll do my best." He promised.

"Thank you." Sherlock said gratefully. Lestrade noted how Sherlock's voice became so vulnerable, so _caring_ when he pleaded with him. Ariadne really was Sherlock's heart, pride and joy.

"So," Lestrade said, trying to change the subject. "There's only been one case lately. But I doubt you'll find it interesting."

"Any case is interesting now. I've been quite bored lately and Ariadne doesn't seem to be mature enough for me to play Cluedo with her." Sherlock mused, sounding like his old self again. Lestrade fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Well, the case details are in this file." He said, handing a beige folder to the consulting detective. Sherlock scanned through the file quickly and closed the folder with a snap.

"Its obviously the wife's brother." Sherlock said boredly. Lestrade sighed.

"Of course. I should have known." He said sarcastically. Sherlock set the folder down on Lestrade's desk and checked the time.

"I should get going. I'm looking for a daycare for Ariadne to stay at when I'm at crime scenes. John insisted it." He said sourly. Lestrade smirked.

"I'll call you if anything comes up about Moriarty." He said. Sherlock looked grim as he picked Ariadne up.

"Thank you." He said as he left the room. Ariadne waved over Sherlock's shoulder.

"Bye Unca Gweg!" She said happily. Lestrade smiled to himself and returned to his desk. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Yes. I need you to bring me the file for James Moriarty."

/

Sherlock looked disapprovingly at the bright door in front of him. This was the nearest day care to Baker Street and even though he hated the ridiculous pictures and colours all over the doors and walls, he knew it was the most convenient for him and Ariadne. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Wow." Ariadne said as they looked around. Sherlock gagged at the bright yellow of the walls. He regained his cool expression and walked to the lady sitting at the front desk. She looked bored and was tapping a pen on her chin impatiently as she pored over a crossword puzzle.

"Good morning. I wish to speak with Ms. Clarke? I had a tour scheduled for my daughter and I." Sherlock said smoothly. The receptionist looked up at the sound of Sherlock's voice and glanced up to look at him. Her eyes widened as she took Sherlock in and flashed him a brilliant smile.

"Of course. Right this way." She said, still smiling. Ariadne frowned at her, shrinking away and pressing herself against Sherlock nervously.

"No like her." She said. Sherlock smirked as the receptionist heard Ariadne's words. She visibly stiffened, obviously fighting the urge to glare at Ariadne.

When they reached the door at the end of the hallway, the receptionist stopped and knocked on the door.

"Ms. Clarke? There's someone here to meet you." She called. The door opened and an uptight looking woman stood in the doorway. Her dark hair was piled up in a bun on her head and she was dressed in a rather uncomfortable looking dress. She looked at Sherlock and Ariadne snootily and sniffed.

"You must be Mr. Holmes." She said in a nasally voice. Sherlock eyed the woman up and down.

"Ms. Clarke." He said cooly, extending a hand out. She shook it lightly before giving a nod to the receptionist.

"You are dismissed." She said. She turned back to Sherlock and smiled tightly. "Let us begin the tour."

For the next half hour, Sherlock was forced to listen to Ms. Clarke's endless drone as she rambled on and on about the facility. Sherlock really didn't like the sound of this daycare. It sounded terribly boring and strict. Ariadne was also looking bored. She started fidgeting and speaking loudly about the daycare.

"Ugly." She screamed at one point, her finger pointing imperiously at one of the rooms. Ms. Clarke shot her a glare and Ariadne shrank back, burrowing her face in Sherlock's shoulder. Sherlock fought the urge to speak and frowned at her as she turned away, acting like nothing had happened.

"Sowy dada." Ariadne's muffled voice said. Sherlock felt a bit angry with this woman for snapping at Ariadne and he held out his arm as she was about to show them another room.

"I think I've seen enough of this place." He said. Ms. Clarke looked surprised but smiled a little.

"Well. I expect I'll be seeing more of-"

"This place is an prison for these poor children. I'm surprised you still have any clients considering you don't seem to handle children very well." Sherlock continued coldly. Ms. Clarke looked outraged.

"How dare you! This-"

"I don't care what you have to say. I'm leaving. Good day to you, Ms. Clarke." Sherlock said curtly before stepping away and walking off. Ms. Clarke was left gaping after him in fury before she snapped her jaw shut and stormed off.

Outside, Sherlock was standing on the side of the road waiting for a cab. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID.

"How did the daycare go?" John's voice asked from the phone. Sherlock grimaced.

"The place was terrible. Terrible facility." He said vaguely. He smiled a little as he heard John sigh on the other end of the line.

"What? Did you piss off whoever was in charge, Sherlock?" He asked.

"She glared at Ariadne. I don't want Ariadne to be near anyone like her. She obviously hates children as well." Sherlock said huffily. John groaned.

"I knew this would happen. I've got the numbers of the other daycares and we'll talk about this when I get home, alright?" Sherlock sighed.

"Must we? I can take care of Ariadne. She doesn't need a daycare." He insisted.

"Look, Sherlock-"

"I'll talk to you later John. Goodbye." He said curtly, hanging up the call. He slid his phone back into his pocket and adjusted his grip on Ariadne.

"Come on, let's go home."

/

When John arrived home that afternoon, he was amused to see Sherlock sitting on the couch reading a book aloud to Ariadne. John took off his coat and listened as Sherlock read the book.

"And the little pig said, "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin! You can't fool us with that old sheepskin!" The wolf huffed and puffed and blew the house down." He read. Ariadne squealed excitedly and clapped.

"More! More dada more!" She demanded. John laughed loudly and Sherlock's gaze landed on him.

"John!" He said, clearly relieved. He set the book aside and heaved Ariadne off his lap. "Let Uncle John read to you now." He handed the book to Ariadne and nudged her gently towards John.

"Hey there." He said, picking her up as she walked towards him. She hugged him and pushed the book to him.

"Read?" She questioned. John shrugged.

"Sure." He carried her to the couch and set her down on his lap. He opened the book to the page where Sherlock left off and continued reading.

"The three little pigs waited for the wolf to come in but nothing happened! They peeked out the window and saw the wolf looking very tired. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't blow the house down!" John read. Ariadne smiled and leaned forwards, pointing at the pictures happily.

After John finished reading, he looked down and saw Ariadne sleeping. "Did you feed her just now?" He asked Sherlock.

"Hmm? Oh, yes I gave her some bread and jam." Sherlock answered. John picked Ariadne up carefully and brought her to Sherlock's room. As he set her down on the bed, a pink slip of paper caught his eye. It was folded in the shape of a heart and it rested on Sherlock's pillow.

John frowned and leaned over Ariadne to pick up the paper heart. He flipped it over but there was nothing but a single word written on the back.

_Soon._

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><p><strong>This was sort of a filler chapter so if it was boring, I'm sorry! The robbery and break ins and all the lovely Moriarty drama will begin soon so watch out for it!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Eep. Please don't hate me. I'm sorry this took so long to write! I have exams to prep for and this chapter was particularly difficult to write. I apologize if Moriarty is a little strange too. I want to thank **TeamDallow** for their amazing message! It kinda motivated me to work harder on this chapter so I dedicate this chapter to you! Hope you all enjoy and again, I'm sorry for not updating sooner. And um I've never gotten drunk and I've never had beer or anything so the drinking scene and stuff here will be kinda off since I have no experience whatsoever with alcohol.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot and Ariadne!

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

_(Set minutes before the end of Chapter Seven)_

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><p>Moriarty hummed quietly as he let himself into Sherlock's flat. He glanced around the place disinterestedly and randomly picked up objects from the tabletops and dropped them carelessly on the ground.<p>

"So domestic." He said, shaking his head disapprovingly. He wandered into the kitchen and grinned at the experiments on the table. He flitted about the room peering into the microscope and prodding at the jars filled with a strange pinkish substance. He opened the fridge door and smirked as he spotted a clear bag filled with what looked like fingers hiding behind a jar of pickles. Clearly Sherlock couldn't resist keeping a few of his odd experiments.

As Moriarty shut the door to the fridge, he spotted a picture on the front of the fridge. He leaned closer and saw a picture of Ariadne smiling cheekily at the camera. Her blue eyes shone happily and her dark curls now reached her chin. Something about this picture stirred something within Moriarty but he quickly shoved it aside.

The familiar sound of the Bee Gees sounded from his pocket and he pulled out his phone and pressed a button.

"Hello Sebby!" He sang. The man on the other end of the line sighed.

"They're on their way up. Their cab just arrived." He said gruffly. Moriarty hung up without saying anything else and stuffed the picture of Ariadne into his pocket hastily. He bounded over to Sherlock's room and closed the door quietly. He glanced disgustedly at the stuffed toys on Sherlock's bed and walked over to it.

"I'll see you soon, my dear Sherlock." He said fondly, taking out a pink paper heart. He pressed his lips to it quickly and set it down on one of the pillows. He opened the window, sat on the ledge and paused. He turned and gave a salute to Sherlock's room before jumping out the window. He landed in a crouch on the ground and stood up as a black car pulled up into the alley. He looked around the area, a smirk on his face.

"Ah, Sebastian. How are you today?" He trilled as he slid into the vehicle. The man sitting next to him scowled. He had dark blonde hair cropped short and cool grey eyes. He was dressed in a black turtleneck and jeans paired with scruffy combat boots. A long rifle was sitting on his lap.

"You should've gotten out of there faster. He could've seen you." Sebastian grumbled.

"Ah, but he didn't see me so its alright. Aw, were you worried about me?" Moriarty teased, blinking his eyes at the sniper. Sebastian snorted and turned away.

"You're a big boy. I'm sure you can handle yourself." He said cooly. Moriarty smirked and leaned back in his seat. He took out the picture he took from Sherlock's flat and opened it up. Ariadne's face smiled out from the photo and Moriarty fought the urge to rip it into pieces.

"Is that Holmes' brat?" Sebastian asked, peering over at the photo. Moriarty nodded stiffly. "Are you planning on…?" He asked the Irishman hesitantly. Moriarty shot him a glare.

"What do you think?" He snapped irritably. Sebastian raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything in response. He turned his head away from Moriarty and stared out the window. Moriarty crumpled the photo in his hands and stuffed it back in his pocket.

"Take me as far away from here as you can." He told the driver rather angrily. Sebastian eyed his boss uncertainly. He was used to Moriarty's mood changes but he seemed rather upset for some reason. He knew better than to pry; Moriarty always ended up telling him anyways. It was just a matter of him cooling off a little.

For the rest of the drive, Moriarty and Sebastian sat in total silence. Occasionally the Irishman would glance down at his pocket where the photo was kept but he never made a motion to take it out. Sebastian noticed these little glances and wondered what it was that was bothering Moriarty so much.

After what seemed like an hour, they finally pulled up in front of a huge white mansion surrounded by many trees. Moriarty stepped out of the car and stormed up to the large double doors. He didn't even bother acknowledging his sniper sitting in the car behind him. Sebastian sighed as he watched his boss' retreating figure.

"Just take me back to town. I'll come back here in a few hours. He needs to cool off a bit." He told the driver boredly.

/

Moriarty kicked off his shoes carelessly near the doorway and shrugged off the dark jacket he was wearing. He tossed it to the side and wandered into the kitchen, tugging his tie loose as well. He threw the fridge door open and took out a six-pack of beer and a couple of bottles of whiskey. Tucking them under one arm, he padded to the living room.

He popped a bottle open and took a good, long swig before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and sitting down on the sofa. He pulled out the photo and eyed it.

"Ariadne Holmes." He growled, leaning back lazily. He smoothed out the creases he had made on the photograph and chugged some more beer down. "I'd like to thank the bitch your father knocked up. She gave him a weakness; a weakness I can use to finally get rid of him." He told the photo bitterly. He let the photo drop onto the carpet and drank some more.

"I'm gonna kill you, Sherly!" He giggled maniacally as he took out a gun from under the sofa. He shot at the ceiling and the walls while drinking and threw the now empty bottle against the wall where it shattered into pieces. "I'm gonna make your precious daughter watch as I kill you and then, I might kill her too!" He said, laughing loudly. He opened another bottle and clumsily poured some more into his mouth. He threw the bottle aside and closed his eyes, smiling to himself as he heard the bottle smash into pieces.

"You shouldn't be doing this." A soft voice chided with a hint of an Irish accent. Moriarty's eyes flew open and he found himself staring at a dark haired woman standing in front of him. She was ghostly pale and was wearing a long white dress. Her green eyes looked sadly at him and she moved towards him silently. Moriarty looked at her with rage. His head buzzed from the alcohol and his vision swam a little.

"You." He said quietly. She smiled sadly at him.

"Hello, Jim." She greeted quietly. Moriarty stood up and staggered towards her.

"I spent years looking for you." He said, eyeing her up and down. She watched him with sad eyes.

"I'm surprised it took you this long." She said. Moriarty slammed his hand down on the coffee table angrily as he looked up at her with burning eyes.

"Dammit, why did you have to run Joanna?" He shouted furiously. She stepped towards him.

"I didn't have to. But you made me do it-"

"I DID IT TO PROTECT YOU." He screamed. Joanna smiled sadly at him.

"Its too late for that." She said softly. Moriarty gave a strangled growl and reached for her. But before he could lay his hands on her, his vision darkened and he felt himself getting shaken.

"Boss? Boss, wake up!" A familiar voice said roughly. Moriarty gasped as he jolted awake and sat up quickly, nearly knocking heads with Sebastian.

"Joanna?" He mumbled groggily.

"No, its Sherlock." The sniper said sarcastically. Moriarty groaned and rubbed his the back of his head absently.

"Not in the mood." He grumbled as he straightened up. Sebastian snorted and looked around the room. There was broken glass all over the floor and the walls were filled with random bullet holes and beer stains. The coffee table was in a mess and there were bottles peeking out from under the sofa.

"Rough night?" He said, with his eyebrows raised.

"What's it to ya?" The consulting criminal snapped. Sebastian shrugged and looked away.

"Never mind." He said. He was getting really worried now. Moriarty had been on edge lately and now it was obvious he had just drunk himself stupid. Whatever this was, it had something to do with Joanna. Sebastian had only heard about her a few times when he had started working for Moriarty and so far the only thing he understood was that she was his sister. She had also been the one who had put him behind bars for a week before he broke out and that he had been looking for her ever since.

"Seb? Hello?" The sniper was slammed back into reality when he heard Moriarty snapping his fingers at him impatiently. "Get me my blueberry grape smoothie." He demanded. Sebastian sighed.

"We're miles away from any store and-"

"THEN GO MAKE ME ONE." Moriarty yelled. He winced after that and slumped back against the sofa, eyes closed. Sebastian rolled his eyes and stalked off to the kitchen.

Moriarty listened to the sound of Sebastian's footsteps getting fainter and groaned to himself as memories he had long suppressed poured into his mind.

"_How could you?" He spat. He leaned against the bars of the prison cell, his hands gripping the bars so tightly his knuckles turned white. The woman standing outside his cell couldn't bear to look at him. She stared at the ground as she spoke._

"_I had to, Jim. You were out of control." She said, on the verge of tears._

"_I did it to protect you, Joanna." He growled. She finally looked up at him, her eyes filled with disbelief._

"_You killed him! He was an innocent man and you killed him!" She cried, tears spilling out of her eyes._

"_He would have hurt you." He said, looking away._

"_I loved him." She said, her voice broken. "I'm sick of you trying to 'protect' me. You scared away anyone I was ever close to and now you've just gone too far." She paused and looked at her brother. "You can't protect me forever. I'm not your baby sister anymore." She whispered. She reached for him and he let her touch his cheek gently._

"_I will get out of here." He said in a hollow voice. "And when I do, I'll find you." He promised. Joanna pulled her hand away from him and backed away from the cell. She shook her head and turned away from him._

"_Goodbye Jim."_

As soon as that memory faded away, another one pushed its way into his head.

"_What do you mean she's dead?" Moriarty growled. It had been a week after he broke out of prison and he had just been told his sister was dead. The man sitting across him swallowed nervously and shuffled the papers on his desk._

"_She died in a car accident. There weren't many details bu The poor man never got to finish his sentence because at that moment, Moriarty shot him square in the forehead. His face was cold and stony as he swept everything off the desk in his fury and watched as the body of the dead man fell to the floor with a thump._

"_Why did you that?" Moriarty turned around and faced the young man he had recently hired. He was wearing scruffy clothes and a long rifle was strapped onto his back._

"_She's not dead. I know she isn't." Moriarty said quietly. The young man frowned._

"_But sir, he sa-"_

"_Sebastian, have you heard of the witness protection program?" The Irishman asked tiredly. Sebastian nodded and understood what he was trying to say._

"_Alright, so she's not dead. But why is she so important?" He asked. Moriarty stiffened and turned away from him. _

"_Enough questions. I've got work to do. Let's go." He snapped. Sebastian followed Moriarty out of the room and asked no further questions._

Moriarty's eyes flew open as he heard Sebastian enter the room.

"There you go, one blueberry grape smoothie." The sniper said grumpily. Moriarty stared at it before whacking it off the table. Sebastian jumped and glared at Moriarty furiously.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" He shouted. Moriarty stared up at him with empty eyes.

"After all these years, why is she still haunting me?" He asked quietly. Sebastian froze and looked down at Moriarty. He shifted uneasily on his feet, thinking carefully about what he should say next.

"I thought you gave up finding her." He said. Moriarty glared at the ground.

"The only reason I gave up was because it was impossible to get the witness protection records. Mycroft Holmes had them in his grubby little hands." He growled. Sebastian watched as his boss pulled out his wallet and stared at the picture of Joanna. She was smiling at the camera, her eyes shining happily.

"Wait a second…" He said, frowning as he stared at the picture. He stood up and started rummaging around the mess on the floor, searching for Ariadne's picture. Sebastian watched, alarmed as the criminal mastermind came up a second later holding a picture in his hands. He looked at Ariadne and back to Joanna before stuffing both pictures away in his pocket.

"What is it?" Sebastian asked. Moriarty ignored him and walked right past him.

"It's time." He said softly. Sebastian frowned, not understanding.

"Time for what?" Moriarty turned to face him, his eyes flashing maniacally and a crazed grin on his face.

"Time for the game to begin."


End file.
